Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ DragonBall Zenith: How Young Hearts Bleed ❯ You Can't Run Forever! ( Chapter 8 )

Episode 8 - You Can't Run Forever!

If you do not clearly see the words "to be continued" at the bottom of the page, then it hasn't loaded completely or properly.

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, its characters, story line, or any likeness of the characters. My name is not Akira Toriyama. However, this story line has been created by me to be used by me and to be written by me. You know that drill. Also, I do not own Mountain Dew, though I really wish I did. I am not endorsing any brand names I use here in any way either, along with the topics of gangs, fighting, and the like. If you look carefully, you'll notice that I am strongly against those things and try to make that clear to you, the reader.

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A/N: And now a real treat: Episode 8! Wow, I'm on a roll! ;)

Broken bodies, broken dreams.
All is lost, or so it seems...

"The future lies before you like paths of pure white snow. Be careful how you tread it for every step will show." - Unknown

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Trunks yawned and stretched as he awoke the next day, then sat up only to bump his head on the low ceiling. He believed for a moment that he was back on the New Hope, but a quick look around his cramped quarters convinced him otherwise. Tussney was already dressed and rummaging through his items in their tiny storage closet. As Trunks's vision cleared, the tiny white pill-like thing that Tussney was holding and squinting at came into view.

Trunks jumped quickly from his bunk and snatched Capsule 208S from Tussney's larger fingers.

"That's not for you, Tuss." Trunks told him quickly, shaking his head.

"Ease up, Kahler! What d'ya got in there anyway?" He asked, rolling his eyes at Trunks's over protectiveness and laughing. He squinted over Trunks's shoulder and tried to read the label with obvious difficulty. "2... 20, no 28..."

"Here, I can read it better..." Trunks glanced at the label. "Capsule 208S. Nothing overly dangerous in this one, but I wouldn't want to see you try to take out my ship or something in this bathroom stall of ours." Trunks let out a laugh of his own. "You could crush us both!"

Tussney nodded, still laughing. After a while, they both stopped. "So, what's in there anyway?"

"Senzus, a kind of revitalizing bean that grows back on my home planet. They're for emergencies only; I only have a few. They're to be used only if I'm near death or something, but how often does that happen?" Trunks laughed at the last part as if it was a joke.

Tussney looked confused for a moment, and then became slightly more serious. "Kahler, I have to warn you, things on this ship aren't exactly a piece of cake. You've nearly gotten yourself killed a few times already, once with Riigo, once with Lasiehr. You'd better watch yourself or you're going to need every one of those miracle beans. No one is going to baby-sit you, not me, not any of the crew. I have my own problems."

Trunks stopped laughing and cleared his throat nervously.

Tussney sighed. "Come on, newbie. We still have one day of planet leave. Let's make the most of it."

After they completed their various early morning tasks and snacked on some lumpy, greenish alien version of oatmeal, Trunks and Tussney set out once again to see the sights.

Along the way, Tussney fared the worse of the two as some people threw trash at him, others threw punches, and everyone gave him a dirty look or three. Of course, Tussney couldn't fight back or the authorities would be on him in an instant whether he started it or not.

A little alien child kicked him in the shin and her mother ushered her away, not without giving Tussney a nasty, 3-eyed glare. Tussney was tired of it. "Come on, Kahler." He growled irritably and once more took the shorter man by the wrist as he flew out of the city and into the forest.

"Geez. You'd think after so many years people wouldn't go punching guys like me in the face all the time..." he commented as he rubbed a particularly sore spot on his cheek. "Just be glad you're not a Saiyan, Kahler."

"Yeah. Right." Trunks laughed meekly.

Suddenly, both young men felt a ki rise sharply to Trunks's right and before he knew it...

"Oof!" The completely off guard half-Saiyan was pinned to the ground. "Hey!" he yelled at the hooded figure that held him down. "Get off!"

"You're not getting away from me this time!" the surprisingly feminine voice yelled back from beneath the shroud of her hood.

"What? You must have me confused with someone else. Now if you'll excuse me..." he pushed her back, sat up, then lifted her by her wrists and set her standing while he arose also. "I was speaking with my friend here before we were interrupted."

The woman seemed to eye Tussney up from beneath her tan, partially frayed, canvas cloak and hood. "Another Saiyan? Humph. You must have planned this out." She lowered her hood to reveal the face of a stunningly beautiful navy-blue haired woman and locked her piercingly cool matching navy blue eyes onto Trunks's. "I know who you are, Trunks."

Trunks's face flushed stark white.

Seeming not to notice Trunks, Tussney interrupted them. "Whoa, his name's Kahler for one, and for two, what do you mean by 'another Saiyan'?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Trunks gulped as she smirked. "I am Tobaga of the New Saiyan Alliance!" She threw off her cloak and there she stood, slightly shorter than Trunks. She was dressed in a slightly less than modest midnight blue fighting outfit with golden yellow trim as a two-foot-long navy blue tail curled around her waist.

"Wait! You can't be a Saiyan! Your coloring is all wrong!" Trunks concluded.

She leaned in to Trunks's ear and whispered so Tussney couldn't hear. "That doesn't stop you, now does it, little demi-Saiyan?" Trunks's face discovered a brighter shade of white that moment as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. She laughed and Trunks winced.

So the girl knew, but how...? Trunks sighed. "If you've got something to discuss with me, fine. I don't know what your problem is, girl, but we can discuss it elsewhere." Trunks meant for her to leave, but she seemed to misunderstand.

"A private conversation it is, then. We'll go that way." She stressed the word 'private' as she indicated a direction away from the city. "Come on." With that, she ran off into the foliage.

Trunks gave Tussney a helpless look. "I'll set her straight, I guess."

Tussney was confused. "...Yeah... You go do that, Kahler..."

Trunks ran off into the bushes after the strange woman, dodging through various alien trees until he caught up with her, leaning against one of the trees.

"Alright." Trunks addressed her. "First things first. Why are you stalking me? What do you want?"

She smirked and laughed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Simple. The NSA wants you. They tracked an enormous power level to that nowhere planet, Earth, and to you. That was about 30 years ago and we didn't have enough Saiyans back then to send one after you. Now we do. Little, demi-Saiyan, I know a lot about you, you specifically, but the NSA still doesn't know everything." Her eyes began to sparkle like a little kid at Christmas time. "Who is your father? Did you actually meet the great Kakkarot? I have so many questions!"

"Whoa, slow down." Trunks stifled her as he prepared himself for an outright lie. "First of all, I'm Kahler, not Trunks. Second, I'm no Saiyan. My father, my real species, that's personal information. I'm just an ordinary person, Tobaga. Leave it at that."

Tobaga studied his face for a few moments while Trunks silently prayed that she would buy it. She smirked. His face fell. "You're a terrible liar, Trunks. Not only that, but I followed you all the way here. You took off in that ship before I could get to you the first time, and again on that strange planet. Then you evaded me again by faking that crash, and again by running into that gang. I'm not letting you evade me this time!"

Trunks massaged his temples as he sighed. This girl was going to be a bit of a problem. "Look, I don't know who you have me confused with, but my name is Kahler. I'm 17 years old, not 47, and this is my last day of planet leave. I'd like to get back to enjoying it."

She looked annoyed. "Shut up, Trunks. I know about that doo-hickey that disguised you as a 17-year-old, and I'd recognize your bad taste in clothing anywhere." Tobaga smirked. "Plus, who on any other planet runs around with a 'Capsule Corp' jacket?"

Trunks winced. The jacket was a dead giveaway. "Ok, Trunks. Give in now. You might still be able to strike a deal..." he mentally coached himself. "Alright, fine. You have me there. What do you want me for anyway?"

"I knew I'd get you!" She jumped excitedly and giggled like a little kid on a pony ride.

Trunks rolled his eyes. "This had better be good," he thought.

Tobaga seemed to calm down after a bit and cleared her throat importantly. "Trunks, your people need you."

Trunks cocked an eyebrow. "My what? What for?"

"The NSA is trying to gather as many elite Saiyan warriors together as possible so we can re-take our empire's former glory!" She told him as if it was the most important, great, and noble quest in the universe.

Trunks rolled his eyes irritably. He knew otherwise. "I know what Saiyans did before Vegetasei was destroyed, I've heard the stories and the hatred for them still lingers throughout the universe. You need me to fight your battles, to destroy innocent lives and seek your revenge. You need me as a mercenary." Trunks read inward for her, stating it calmly and without flinching. It was, after all, the truth.

Tobaga seemed slightly uncomfortable. "I guess eventually..."

Trunks snorted. "I'm not that way. If your 'New Saiyan Alliance' knows enough about me to send someone after me, you should know why."

Tobaga looked at him questioningly. "Why?"

Trunks lifted one corner of his mouth, appalled that they would dare ask him for something like this without bothering to learn why he became the way he is. "I didn't come here to explain myself." He turned to walk away.

Tobaga caught his arm and he looked back at her. "Really, why?"

Trunks sighed. "You really want to know, or is this some trick?"

Tobaga shook her head. "No trick."

Trunks lowered his eyes and sat down against a tree. She sat down next to him. "I grew up in fear, constantly hiding from an impossible terror brought upon my world, one not even my father could stop. They attacked without mercy, without pattern. The only thing they seemed programmed for was destruction. Now you, the NSA asks me to unleash that same terror upon the children of other worlds." His voice remained unwavering as he brought the horrible truth of his race's past and intended future to light.

"I guess..."

"I didn't spend my entire life fighting that kind of horror just to bring it to other worlds, Tobaga." He spoke softly, but soon began to lose control, the memories once again fresh in his mind. "The universe, none of you understands the value of peace, of life! Sure, many of you grew up in a world ruled only by chaos, never knowing where it would strike next, but how many of you remember? How many of you actually understand the true value of life?"

"Um..." the she-Saiyan bit her lower lip, suddenly sorry that she had taken to her race's view so quickly and without thought.

Trunks's eyes threatened to tear and his fists were clenched. His teenage emotions were getting the better of him. "None of your souls have been so ravaged by was that you see even this little peace as a blessing! You take it for granted, and then selfishly pursue more power. You feed your empire's gluttony on the children of every world you touch! Do you think for a moment that I don't understand what it's like to be on the receiving end of that... that reign of terror? What do you think was my inspiration to gain so much power? For personal satisfaction? No! I protect worlds; I don't cause the death and destruction this universe could sorely do without! I don't kill mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, ...friends..." He suddenly stopped. Trunks spoke one word, "Go... han..." He spoke it slowly, licking each syllable. "I don't kill best friends."

Though the memory stuck at his heart's core like the sharpest blade, the tears his eyes had banked weren't allowed to fall: a product of his Saiyan pride. Curse it! It was pride that caused the deaths of all his mother's friends and his father, all of whom Trunks had been too young to remember. Trunks sat silently against the tree, seemingly calm and still, though within, his emotions boiled and seethed like an angry sea.

Tobaga was stunned. She had only joined her fellow Saiyans because she had nowhere else to go. She found family and protection in them, an escape from the condescending, jeering, angry glares the received from the entire galaxy due to her demi-Saiyan heritage. It wasn't it was her choice to be half Saiyan; her parents made that decision.

She grew up in desirable conditions: two loving parents, a nice space ship/home, a place to train, plenty of food and necessities...

Until they were attacked.

They had landed on some generic planet and her father had to stay on the ship again while her mother took care of all the shopping for their necessities and the engineering/constructing business they ran. Tobaga didn't understand about how the Saiyans were hated and why she needed to remain ship-board, soaking up artificial light instead of an actual sun's rays, breathing a pre-processed oxygen mix instead of "real" air. She snuck out of the ship to explore while her father was distracted with various tedious tasks.

At first, exploring was great. There were bright lights, many people, and enticing sounds and smells, but she soon found trouble, or more precisely, trouble found her.

A small, rowdy, inner city gang ambushed her, poking fun of her off-colored Saiyan tail and pushing her into an impossible fight. Oblivious to how people could be so mean, she foolishly divulged personal information about her heritage and her ship's location.

Her parents were both on the ship at the time, frantically searching for her. The pathetically weak Saiyan and his wife (whose species had never been mentioned to Tobaga) were gone in a flash, a single blast that ended their lives.

The gang members were about to hand that same fate to Tobaga when a lone Saiyan saved her at the last moment. His ebony locks were like a thick mane encircling his head and cascading down his back. His eyes blazed with fierce determination. Though his heart was scarred by years of persecution, none of the like could ever lay a finger on his soul. (A.N.: ...Or a toe, or an arm, or a leg, or a hand, or a stalked eyeball, or a tentacle... I'll shut up now.) Tobaga immediately knew she could trust this man as he carried her off to his ship and brought her to the home she has kept for these past 7 years, and she is 17 currently. Who is he? Tahoto, Tobaga's adoptive father.

Tobaga spoke softly as she relayed her story to her new friend. When she completed the narrative, both youths sat in silence for a while before Tobaga spoke again. "I can't abandon Tahoto, he means too much to me, but you've really opened my eyes, Trunks." She laughed half-heartedly. "The universe can be a pretty cruel place, can't it?"

Trunks nodded. "I hoped you'd understand. I don't exactly want to go head to head with my own race, but I won't stand for anything I don't believe in. I'm looking for worlds that need saving, not to be the one causing that need."

"Yeah..." Tobaga made a quick, perhaps rash decision. "Hey, Trunks? I'm going to join you. I agree with you, no one should cause so much terror and destruction, and I don't care if it's my own race I'm turning against. I won't stand for it either. Even if we can only make a dent in the universe's corruption, it's better than just sitting around and letting it grow. Will you let me?"

Trunks laughed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course." He gave her a sincere smile. She smiled back. "Any help is gladly accepted, Tobaga."

He stood up and shook her hand. "Call me Toby." Tobaga requested.

Trunks nodded and released her hand. "Just remember to call me Kahler, especially around Tussney." He offered her a hand to help her up, but she refused it.

"I can get up myself!" she snorted. Trunks stifled a laugh. Yes, she was a true Saiyan, all right.

"We'd better get back to Tussney. He might get worried if we're gone too long." Trunks concluded.

"Yeah." Toby sighed, and then stopped Trunks before he could run off. "Do you think you could train me to your power level? I mean, it's possible for me, right?" she asked, conveying her doubt to him.

"Of course," was Trunks's reply. He was surprised she would doubt herself so. "Anyone could get to my level, they just need the inspiration."

"Ok, good." She smiled and darted off through the foliage, satisfied with Trunks's response.

"I just hope her help will be enough." Trunks finished his earlier statement mentally as he turned and took off after her.

To be continued...

**Dragon ball ending theme begins to play**

Tussney: Hey, I get to do the wrap up this time! Well, this week's episode really confused me, but hopefully, next week's will be much easier for me to grasp...

**Various clips of Tussney looking confused**

Tussney: ...Or not...

**Clip of Trunks buying a newspaper from the newspaper stand, then reading the paper**

Tussney: Well, it looks like we'll be catching up on current events!

**Clip of Trunks and his feeble attempt at cussing, Tussney laughing at him, then the Silverarm raiding ship taking off and Tussney being thrown into the wall**

Tussney: Heh... I guess I should pay more attention... Well, don't miss the next exciting episode of DBZ: HYHB: Episode 9, Back to Space! Kahler is undoubtedly an enigma... Hey, did I say that right?

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STORY BY:
Silent Willow

Mirai Trunks: Yes, you pronounced the script perfectly, Tuss.

TYPING BY:
Silent Willow

Tussney: I did? Cool! And you said I couldn't read!

HTML CODING BY:
Silent Willow

Mirai Trunks: I never said that... I just said that I could read better.

HOSTING BY:
Fanfiction.net
Freeservers.com
And now... MediaMiner.org!

Tussney: No, but you implied it! You think I'm stupid, don't you? Just another Saiyan brute that can't do anything except eat, sleep, and fight!

ACTORS:
Trunks Briefs: Trunks Briefs
Tussney: 17-year-old Radditz
Lasiehr: Morten
Riigo: Fat Bastard and a lot of makeup
Various Aliens: Random people off the street
Now joining the cast... Tobaga: ROSELYNE MARROT and lessons on how not to have a French accent when playing a character that doesn't have a French accent...

Mirai Trunks: No, I don't...

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
The number 2 (Well, I think it's a funny number...)
Zamba Sabertooth (For our "Bishi-watch" sessions. Don't ask.)
Ember (For being the first person to review this story!)
Riptor Velochi (Because he's my #1 dragon buddy!)
Mountain Dew
Kool-Aid Jammers
My cousin Tyler (For being a good little boy while I type this)
My Uncle Karl (For letting me use his laptop)
MediaMiner.org (Because it's way better than FanFiction.net!)
NOT to Fanfiction.net (Because it went down and got me very angry!)

Tussney: **Not listening to him** Well, I'll show you! I'll figure out that little secret of yours! Just you watch!

And finally, readers like you!

Mirai Trunks: ...Whatever, Tussney...